Department for Work and Pensions

Agenda of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) 8th December 2016, Brussels

Lord Freud: My honourable Friend the Minister of State for Employment (Damian Hinds MP) has made the following Written Statement.The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council will take place on 8th December 2016 in Brussels. I will be representing the UK. The Council will be invited to reach General Approach on proposals for regulation by the European Parliament and the Council to amend legislation on: the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP). The Council will receive progress reports on the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the posting of workers, the proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the accessibility requirements of products and services, and the proposal for a Council Directive on the equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion, disability, age or sexual orientation. The European Commission will present the Annual Growth Survey 2017, the draft Joint Employment Report and draft Recommendations on the economic policy of the Eurozone, with Eurozone Members of the Council invited to adopt the Council contribution on the employment and social aspects of the draft recommendation of the economic policy of the euro area. The Chair of the Employment Committee will present a review of Social Partners’ involvement at national level in the European Semester. The Council will be invited to a policy debate on the European Pillar of Social Rights. The Council will be invited to adopt draft Council Conclusions on the implementation on the Youth Guarantee and the Employment Initiative, Draft Council conclusions on accelerating the process of Roma integration, and Draft Council conclusions on women and poverty. Under any other business, the Commission will present information on the Youth Initiative. There will be information from the Presidency on: Omnibus Regulation (EaSI, EGF, FEAD), the New Skills Agenda, and the outcome of conferences organised by the Slovak Presidency. There will be information from the Austrian delegation on the Special Olympics World Winter Games, and from the Maltese delegation on the work programme of their upcoming presidency.


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Ministry of Justice

Justice and Home Affairs pre-Council statement

Lord Keen of Elie: My Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Amber Rudd) has made the following written statement."The next Justice and Home Affairs Council of the Slovak Presidency will take place on 8 and 9 December in Brussels. The Minister of State for Courts and Justice, Sir Oliver Heald QC MP, and the Minister of State for Policing and Fire, the Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, will represent the UK. The Justice Day (Thursday 8 December) will begin with a discussion about the latest developments on the European Public Prosecutor (EPPO) dossier, which the UK will not participate in.Next on the agenda will be a progress report on discussions with the European Parliament on a compromise approach to the proposal for a Directive on the fight against fraud to the Union’s financial interests by means of criminal law (PIF Directive). The compromise would have the effect of bringing serious VAT fraud within the scope of the Directive. The UK has not opted in to this proposal on the grounds that it would infringe on Member States’ competence to control their own taxes. This will be followed by the first reading of a proposal for a Directive concerning contracts for the supply of digital content. The Council will discuss three elements of the proposal with a view to providing indications of Ministers’ preferred approach to ongoing negotiations in Council Working Group. The UK will continue to promote practicality of application, proportionality, and, where appropriate, consistency with existing law. The final substantive item of the day will cover criminal justice in cyberspace. The Presidency will provide updates on progress on two linked issues: securing e-evidence for use in criminal justice proceedings; and how to tackle challenges around encrypted data. The UK’s legislative position on encryption has recently been clarified with Royal Assent of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 on 29 November. We support the Presidency’s overarching position of continuing to work to find solutions that ensure our law enforcement agencies can access encrypted data in tightly prescribed circumstances, while respecting the role that encryption plays in protecting citizens’ data. The Interior day (Friday 9 December) will begin with an update on negotiations relating to the reform of Common European Asylum System (CEAS). Negotiations are ongoing in relation to the inclusion of arrangements for the large scale relocation of asylum seekers / refugees within the proposed Dublin IV Regulation. The UK has not opted in to these regulations. The Presidency will also present recent revisions to Eurodac proposals, to which we have opted in. Eurodac has the potential to be a powerful tool in the fight against serious crime and terrorism. We welcome the recent changes to the proposal to make law enforcement access easier in order to support wider security and law enforcement objectives. The next item will focus on proposals to establish an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register the movements (and refusals) of third country nationals, as this is a Schengen area measure the UK will not participate. After this the Commission will present their legislative proposals for enhancing the functionality of the Second Generation Schengen Information System (SIS II). We understand these proposals will be published by the Commission the day before the Council, so are not expecting any substantive discussion. On the Migration item, discussion will focus on implementation of the EU-Turkey deal and talks on ‘effective solidarity’ mechanisms for burden sharing around irregular migrant flows. The UK is focused on supporting practical efforts to implement the EU-Turkey deal. The UK will announce an additional package of support to Greece including up to an extra 40 staff over the winter period to support this process and ease congestion on the increasingly over-crowded islands. In particular, we are looking to provide flow management (as recommended by the McKinsey report), case-workers and interpreters (as requested by Greece) and returns expertise (as recommended/ requested by both). On the Fight Against Terrorism item the Commission will update on ongoing cooperation between the EU, Member States’ law enforcement agencies and electronic communication service providers to prevent the spread of extremist content that supports radicalisation. It will also cover policy options for tackling the threat to the European Union from returning foreign fighters. The European Counter Terrorism Coordinator will present a paper addressing the threat picture, information sharing, criminal justice and disengagement amongst other topics, which we expect the Council to endorse without a substantive debate. Finally there will be a short item on how governments can share best practice in preparing for attacks, drawing lessons from other CT incidents. The UK will outline its approach to preparedness, and encourage EU engagement with information sharing initiatives."

Cabinet Office

Annual Report on the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review

Earl Howe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Amber Rudd) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.Today, I am pleased to announce the publication of the 2016 annual report of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR). I have placed a copy in the House of Commons Library.The 2015 National Security Strategy and SDSR set out our vision of a secure and prosperous United Kingdom with global reach and influence. We identified the values and approach we would rely on to deliver our strategy, and set out three overarching National Security Objectives: Protect Our People; Project Our Global Influence; and Promote Our Prosperity. In support of each of these objectives, we committed to specific actions and changes, on which we have instigated a cross-government programme of activity, overseen by a new sub-Committee of the National Security Council (NSC).In the SDSR, we committed to giving Parliament an annual update on implementation of the strategy. This first Annual Report on the SDSR sets out our progress in delivering on our commitments and shows how the strategy is already helping the United Kingdom face up to the threats and challenges posed by a changing world.As my Rt Hon friend the Prime Minister says in her foreword to the Annual Report, much has changed since the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review was published in November of last year – not least the United Kingdom’s historic decision to leave the European Union. But the principal threats to our national security remain the same. We are witnessing the resurgence of state-based threats – as displayed most obviously by Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine; terrorism and extremism threaten our security; cyber attacks are on the increase from both state and non-state actors, and we face renewed challenges to the rules-based international order that provides the bedrock of our security. Some of the great global challenges of our time, such as the phenomenon of mass migration, have become more pronounced in the last 12 months.We should be confident of the United Kingdom’s ability to rise to these challenges, drawing on our great strengths as a nation, and the relevance and strength of our National Security Strategy.The decision to leave the EU carries significant implications for the UK in many areas of political and economic engagement. In the national security context, however, the threats and challenges to UK national security have not fundamentally changed as a result of the decision to leave. The UK remains fully and strongly committed to Europe’s defence and security and we continue to play an active role in security and defence cooperation across Europe. As we leave the European Union, we will be more prominent than ever: an outward-facing, global partner at the heart of international efforts to secure peace and prosperity for all our people.In the SDSR, we made 89 principal commitments. We have completed 12, and set in train 38 more which will be ongoing throughout this Parliament. The SDSR pledged to deliver a number of complex major projects and programmes, some with a delivery timescale of a decade or more; progress on these is as we would expect at this early stage.  Britain continues to lead the way in responding to global challenges that affect our security and prosperity. The UK is the only country in the G20 to meet both the NATO target of 2% of GDP on defence spending, and 0.7% of GNI on overseas development assistance. British leadership on defence and security issues is supported and reinforced by the strength of our economy and our unique international influence and soft power, enabling us to work with our allies and partners around the world to deliver our National Security Strategy.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Neighbourhood Planning Bill: English Votes for English Laws

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Today, My Hon Friend the Minister of State for Housing & Planning & Minister for London has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.I am pleased to announce the publication of analysis of English Votes for English Laws in relation to Government amendments to the Neighbourhood Planning Bill at Commons Committee and Commons Report.The English Votes for English Laws process applies to public bills in the House of Commons. To support the process, the Government has agreed that it will provide information to assist the Speaker in considering whether to certify the Bill or any of its provisions for the purposes of English Votes for English Laws.The memorandum provides an assessment of the Government amendments to the Neighbourhood Planning Bill at Commons Committee and Commons Report stage, for the purposes of English Votes for English Laws. The Department’s assessment is that the amendments do not change the territorial application of the Bill. This analysis reflects the position should all the Government amendments at Commons Report be accepted.I have deposited a copy in the Libraries of the House. 


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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mandatory housing of poultry and other captive birds in England

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Andrea Leadsom) has made the following statement. In recent weeks, there have been several reported cases of a highly pathogenic avian flu subtype H5N8 in Europe. As a result, the Animal and Plant Health Agency has increased the risk to UK wild birds to medium. The risk to poultry remains low, but heightened. No cases have been found in the UK.Public Health England (PHE) advises that the threat to public health from H5N8 remains very low and there are currently no recorded cases of this strain in humans.In response to the risk to poultry and other captive birds, the Chief Veterinary Officer yesterday put in place an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone that covers all of England. The purpose of the zone is to require keepers to take additional steps to introduce enhanced biosecurity measures and to protect poultry and other captive birds from contact with wild birds. The zone requires where practicable the immediate and compulsory housing of hens, chicken, turkey and ducks or their complete separation from contact with wild birds. For farmed geese, gamebirds and other captive birds, where housing can be less practical, keepers should take steps to keep these birds separate from wild birds. The additional biosecurity measures are to be taken by all keepers of birds. The zone will remain in place for 30 days. The intention is to give keepers time to put in place other robust biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of avian influenza entering poultry flocks and other captive birds. The requirement to house for 30 days will not affect the free-range status of birds or their eggs.Defra has also enhanced its surveillance of wild birds, with particular emphasis on those species posing the greatest risk. This process will be kept under review and adjusted as necessary in the light of any changes in circumstances.I urge bird keepers to adopt the best practice biosecurity advice which my Department has made available on GOV.UK


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